The lege is wrapping up the state budget, amid the usual caterwauling about the TABOR amendment. [Out-of-staters might not recall that's the state constitutional amendment restricting state gov spending.]
Compare the differences in tone between these two articles.
The Rocky:
State agencies and service providers are reading the proposed $14.2 billion budget this week and doing something they haven't done for a long time: sighing with relief.
Last year, after two years of painful budget cuts, members of virtually every department and advocacy group cruised the Capitol, complaining about the devastation.
This week has been remarkably quiet after the announcement that the budget could see an increase of 4.4 percent over last year. Most people are just grateful to be funded again at levels they haven't seen for a couple years.
The budget committee recommended about $70 million in cuts for the next budget year, which begins in July. It was unclear late Thursday how much that number had been changed.
The lean times and tough choices were evident in a number of debates.
Rep. Joe Stengel, R-Littleton, was trying to increase funding for severely disabled children by about $500,000. He said he wanted to ensure that the children, who need around- the-clock care, weren't cut to 16 hours per day.
To fund his request, he asked his colleagues to take money from the Agriculture Department, tourism and from another children's health-care program.
His proposed changes failed.
But House Speaker Lola Spradley was able to get $500,000 more for the elderly by taking it from the Read-to-Achieve program, which helps children learn to read.
"This is pretty heartbreaking, pitting sick kids against illiterate kids," said House Minority Leader Andrew Romanoff.
This one of those Rorschach test moments - your reaction to the state budget probably depends on how you feel about the role of government in general. But some of what you read is severely slanted by different sets of facts. Note how the 4.4% potential budget increase reported by the Rocky becomes $70 million in budget cuts in the Post.
It sounds like the old budget forcasting trick. Propose a $300 million increase for a future year and when you get a $230 million increase complain that $70 million have been 'cut.'
Posted by Walter at April 2, 2004 09:22 AM